Spencer E. Ante, BusinessWeek editor and author, quotes excerpts from his book, Creative Capital: Georges Doriot and the Birth of Venture Capital, and offers a historical portal into the start and evolution of venture capital. He draws an investment timeline starting with the post-WWII economy, delves into the dominance of Silicon Valley, and discusses current recessionary activity.

Elizabeth Holmes, President, CEO, and Founder of Theranos, discusses her decision to leave Stanford to launch a biotech company, and what she's learned about raising capital and attracting top talent. Holmes allows the audience to pose numerous inquiries, and she discusses her personal conviction, development process, and path of entrepreneurship.

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, shares his optimism for emerging innovation in the midst of economic turmoil, and the story of his own entrepreneurial path. He also speaks of his company's continued investment in Internet-ready hardware and software that seeks progress in healthcare, education, and science.

Steve Westly, Founder of clean tech investment firm The Westly Group and former Controller for the state of California, paints a landscape of the present and future opportunities in emerging alternative energy.

Question: I’ve read a few articles and blog posts over the past couple of days regarding Senator Dodd’s financial reform bill, and some of them suggest that it’s going to be more difficult for startups to raise money if the bill is signed into law. Why is that? I thought the bill was supposed to address the problems on Wall Street that led to our financial crisis.

Self-healing metal that pops back into shape after it's damaged. Machines that give surgeons full-color, 3D images of a patient's insides. Sensors that warn police or soldiers of explosives miles away. This is the promise of a proposed $700 million statewide investment program that aims to turn sci-fi dreams into Ohio's business future. But does the promise hold up?

Don’t get Randal Charlton wrong. The executive director at the TechTown business incubator in Detroit is thankful for a recent announcement of $5 million coming his way to help graduates of his FastTrac business training program launch their companies. But, he says, look at it this way: The money, granted by the New Economy Initiative, a Detroit-area philanthropic partnership, is not being thrown at comfortable entrepreneurs. This is, essentially, aid to the unemployed. And, as such, $5 million barely scratches the surface.

Many of the entrepreneurs to be helped by the First Step Fund, the entity created by NEI’s $5 million investment, are not launching startups because it seems like a promising thing to do. They have nowhere else to go, Charlton says. Their former jobs in the auto industry are gone, never to return. Their choices are to leave the state or try to create their own jobs in Michigan.

The structure of EDN consists of three service providers. Loan and Political Risk Insurance Originators (Originators) serve as local service providers to micro, small-medium enterprises (MSMEs) to help develop the OPIC application package, refine marketing strategies, and draft or enhance business plans. Financial institutions serve as Designated Lenders to establish OPIC-backed lending facilities that are used to make loans to MSMEs or their affiliates for projects in OPIC-eligible countries. EDN Advisers are specialists in particular business sectors and geographic areas throughout the world and assist OPIC in credit underwriting and due diligence on OPIC-funded loans.

Health IT, innovation and business models are some of the topics addressed in this Q&A session with Richard Foster, a new partner at venture capital firm Lux Capital. Read more for his views on the future of health IT and his advice for new entrepreneurs.

A network of U.S. cities facilitating a weekly entrepreneur education program. Go to 1 Million Cups >

Whether you are starting or growing a company, FastTrac will help you live your dream at each stage.Get started with FastTrac >

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